Visual Argument Assignment: Grading Rubric

Name of author:_____________________________
Word Count: ____________________________
Grade: _____________________________
___________________________________________________
1. The title (5). Did the title catch your attention? Is it interesting, informative, and indicative of the
writer’s stance?

2. Introduction: strategies (10). Does the introduction make you want to keep reading? Why or why
not? Did the introduction begin too generally? Too narrow? Could it be improved? If so, how?

3. Thesis (5). Does the thesis make a clear and compelling argument about the use of rhetorical appeals
in the visual text being examined? How so / how not? Where is it in the introduction? Is this placement
an effective choice? After reading the essay, is the thesis well supported in the body of the essay with
specific visual evidence? How so/how not?

4. Rhetorical Appeals (10). What rhetorical appeals did the author use in his or her own writing? How
did the author work these appeals into his or her text? Were these choices appropriate and successful?

5. Development of Ideas (20). Are the main points of the paper sufficiently developed? Does the paper
bring up any interesting points that you would like to see developed further? Do you find any spots
where the paper goes off on a tangent or addresses peripheral/irrelevant material? Does it focus on
analyzing the visual text, or does it spend too much time discussing the issue presented by the text?

6. Organization of Argument (10). Is the argument organized effectively? Do the ideas follow each
other in a logical, understandable way? Are there any places that are confusing?

7. Paragraphing (10). Does the author use topic sentences? Are the paragraphs more or less cohesive --
i.e. do they focus on/develop one idea? Are any paragraphs too long or too short for easy reading?

8. Style: argument and writing (10). Is there unnecessary repetition of points in the argument? Does
s/he vary sentence structure? Are there too many short, choppy sentences, or ones that are overly
complex and need to be broken up? How do the sentences flow into one another?

9. Visual Rhetoric (10). Did the author include the visual text in his/her paper? Did the author utilize
terms learned in class and assigned readings? Are there any aspects of the text that could be analyzed
further to contribute to the impact of the argument?

10. Conclusion (10). Is it a successful conclusion in that it offers closure to the paper while emphasizing
the main thesis strongly one last time?
 Visual Argument Assignment: Peer Review (cont.)

Issues from LP assignments that resurface (-1/2 point per error). Do any of the following writing
errors (discovered in LP assignments and discussed in class) show up in the author’s writing?

• Apostrophes (used to pluralize a word)

• “Good” and “Bad”

o Remember: one should avoid using “good” or “bad” in academic writing (unless, of
course, one is talking about the forces of good and evil), because those words are far too
general. Use specific adjectives.

• Split infinitives
o Remember: avoid split infinitives, which is when a word or phrase, usually an adverb or
adverbial phrase, comes between the marker “to” and the bare infinitive (uninflected)
form of a verb. Example: “to boldly go where no man has gone before”.

• Misuse of Comma
o Remember: there are several instances when one can use a comma, including (but not
limited to) the following:

 After an introductory clause

 Setting off an appositive in a sentence

 Separating elements (“grumpy, crusty, mean, old man”)

 Separating phrases that contrast (“she is old, not young”)

 Comma + conjunction to separate two independent clauses

• Using prepositions at the end of a thought, whether in the middle or at the end of a sentence.

• Idioms and slang

• Contractions

• Passive Voice

• “Thing”
• “A lot”

• Confuses “than” with “then” (and/or vice versa)

• Numbers in academic writing

• Typos

• Choppy sentences

• Others not listed here (but covered in class):